also helped develop the meridian symphony chorus . the current conductor is dr . claire fox hill ##ard , who has been with the orchestra since 1991 . the ms ##o will celebrate its 50th anniversary in february 2011 with a performance from it ##zh ##ak per ##lman . the city ' s former grand opera house was built in 1889 by two half brothers , israel marks and levi roth ##enberg . during its operation the opera house hosted many famous artists and works , the first being a german company ' s rendition of johann strauss ii ' s " the gypsy baron " . after closing in the late 1920s due to the great depression , the opera house was abandoned for nearly 70 years
also helped develop the meridian symphony chorus. the current conductor is dr. claire fox hillard, who has been with the orchestra since 1991. the mso will celebrate its 50th anniversary in february 2011 with a performance from itzhak perlman. the city's former grand opera house was built in 1889 by two half brothers, israel marks and levi rothenberg. during its operation the opera house hosted many famous artists and works, the first being a german company's rendition of johann strauss ii's " the gypsy baron ". after closing in the late 1920s due to the great depression, the opera house was abandoned for nearly 70 years